Save A Life

Today, I vomited for the first time in 4 years. Whenever I return to Mexico, I endure some level of sickness, as my body adjusts to the altitude. When I returned to Mexico City for the third time this year, I imagined that I no longer had anything to worry about. Perhaps, my body was finally used to the altitude. Well… It turns out, I spoke too soon.

I hadn’t been eating very much and by “very much”, I mean, at all. Often, when I travel, I lose my appetite for a couple days. I didn’t think much of it. Then, last night, my stomach began to bother me. I figured, I would get some rest and eat in the morning. My body had other plans. I woke up in a sweat, shaking, and with only about 5 seconds to run across the room to the closest receptacle, to throw up. There are not many normal bodily functions that I hate more than vomiting. I hate it. And it is so rare that it happens to me, and yet, there I was, vomiting. Because, I had nothing solid in my system for bile to hold onto, it was literally oozing out of me. And for the first time, in a long time, I felt very scared. I needed help, but I was so exhausted, in so much pain, and lacking so much energy, that I didn’t know what to do. Who would I even call in Mexico City that would consider me a priority?

I stayed in bed for 14 hours, because I just couldn’t move, even though I so desperately needed to. I needed to drink water, I needed to eat something, but I just couldn’t move. In times like these, I think about people who live normal lives and have friends and family they can depend on and for just a moment, I understand part of why that sort of life can be so enticing. These people always have someone. I recently read an article about a foreigner in Mexico City who had an emergency, at home alone and died. They only died, because they were unable to get up and call for help and because they were living alone in another country, they had no one who would check on them from time to time to be sure they were okay. How frightening is that?

I say all this to say, check on your loved ones. It doesn’t cost anything and you could save someone’s life.

I feel like, I could have something much more profound to say, however, I have been awake for 7 hours today and my exhaustion is already hitting me hard. I apologize for my lack of groundbreakingness.